Owning a cat cuts your risk of heart disease by 30%

Well, finally, some real data that proves everyone should own a cat! A study out of the University of Minnesota provides hard evidence that cat owners suffer fewer strokes, heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. So with a healthy diet, exercise and a purring cat, you can probably close down a few pharmaceutical companies!

The University of Minnesota's Stroke Institute in Minneapolis conducted a 10 year study of over 4000 people, almost 2500 of the participants were cat owners. The results showed that cat owners showed 30% lower risk of death from heart disease! Dogs apparently don't offer their owners the same protection. Some Veterinary experts believe it's because cats are more independent than dogs and love to be petted more than dogs, so cats actually lower stress in the owners.

If you were considering whether or not you should get a cat, maybe this study will convince you that you need to adopt a cat. I wonder if your risks are lowered even more if you have two cats?